By
Nancy T. Lu
Expect
no pyrotechnics, said Mikhail Baryshnikov of the White Oak Dance
Project’s modern dance repertoire at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
in Taipei. That was years ago - to be exact, in February 2001. Watch
out more for the lyrical quality of the dance poetry as each
beautiful piece unfolds on the stage. Fun, too, is in store, he
promised.
This
was a chance to see Baryshnikov, still in good shape, move with much
younger dancers without giving away his age. He said during an
interview in Hong Kong before his arrival in Taipei that he works
seven hours a day without fail. He also puts in two more hours of
rehearsal before a performance.
Baryshnikov
follows no strict regimen to stay physically fit and in shape. The
trim dancer flashed his disarming smile from time to time, revealing:
“I eat everything I want. I drink in moderation. I smoke sometimes
a good cigar.” He even claimed to weigh less in 2001 than he used
to at age 18 simply because he burned up everything he ate.
The
dance program he brought to Taipei was very Baryshnikov in the sense
hat everything he stood for found expression in the selection of
almost all commissioned dance choreographies. His romantic and
playful personality came through. There were nonetheless suggestions
of the classical dance he used to do.
The
legendary dancer and former artistic director of the American Ballet
Theater, already the leader of a mixed group of seven performers, was
convinced that fireworks in technique should be left to talents in
rhythmic gymnastics and ice skating.
“It
is wrong for pyrotechnics to have taken over dance in the last 20
years,’ he remarked then. “When I was dancing classical ballet
roles, pyrotechnics never emerged my priority. I wanted to show the
dance and not the pyrotechnics.”
Baryshnikov
explained further: “Modern dance is almost street movement. This is
more contemporary folk movement. It looks simple. People in the
audience may even say, ‘Hey, I can also do that.’” Okay, try it
with us.”
He,
who actually danced in four of the five works in the Taipei program,
went on: “That’s what I like about modern dance. People can
relate to the movement. They recognize it. At the same time the dance
is something new to them.”
The
White Oak Dance Project’s program in Taipei included John
Jasperse’s “See Through Knot,” Mark Morris’ “Pecadillos,”
David Gordon’s “For the Love of the Rehearsal,” Mark Morris’
“The Arrangement,” and Lucinda Childs’ “The Concerto.”
Baryshnikov
even got to wear a Marcel Marceau kind of costume when he executed
the dance narrative created on his body by Mark Morris during a
three-week period in New York.
In
his mind, the biggest challenge in having a group like White Oak is
to find good choreographers, spotting the unknown ones especially in
the beginning of their careers, so as to commission new works. Many
well-known choreographers are very willing to work with the White Oak
group but Baryshnikov is more after discovering fresh and upcoming
talents.
Baryshnikov
is proud of his dancers. They are like his closely-knit family. He
knows each one of them very well. When he was with the ABT, he didn’t
have to know everyone in the huge company.
He
– Misha to those with whom he works – described his two Filipino
dancers – Michael Lomeka, who grew up in Guam, and Keith Sabado,
who was born in Seattle – as “extraordinary modern dancers.”
Emmanuele Phuon is a French Cambodian while Rosalynde LeBlanc is an
Afro American boran in Baltimore, Baryland. Raquel Aedo, whom
Baryshnikov found at the Merce Cunningham School, is of Cuban
descent. Emily Coates, formerly of the New York City Ballet, is one
of only two dancers in the group with classical dance training.
Baryshnikov
with his Kirov Ballet days behind him said at the time of the
interview that he had been studying modern dance much longer than
ballet. His classic dance training took nine years but that on modern
dance went on for more than 20 years.
Fame
and success – the kind experienced by Baryshnikov in the world of
dance – make people wonder: What has been his greatest satisfaction
as a dancer?
“To
make my own mistake and not having to blame anybody for it,” came
the reply during the encounter in Hong Kong.
Would
he, if given the chance, live his life exactly as he has done all
over again?
“Well,
except for some mistakes, I would,” he said, while chuckling over
his own human frailties. He admitted to having done some “stupid
things.” But he has learned from experience.
Did
he at any point consider giving up dance completely.?
“After
I left the American Ballet Theater,” he said, “I wanted to take a
break. So I went to Europe. For five or six months, I did nothing. I
just took classes. I did not have any plan. For one year, I would
say, I did not dance.”
He
continued: “I could have danced with any company and could have
traveled without any problem. But I wanted to start something
meaningful. I realized I wanted to do something new all the time.
“For
me, the greatest satisfaction is to work on the creation of a dance
whatever it becomes – a failure or a success. To work with the
choreographer in the studio is the biggest and most interesting time.
Performing – this is already business.”
Has
he ever considered turning choreographer?
“I
never thought of choreographing myself,” he responded. “I don’t
have the talent for it. Sure, I could come up with a piece. But when
you have the luxury to work with the best choreographers, why should
you add your mediocre work?”
He
went on: “Believe me, I see a lot of work. Ninety percent is
terrible. Only one out of ten choreographers is a good choreographer.
That is true everywhere – and not just in dance but also in movie,
theater and so forth.”
Baryshnikov
turned around to sum: “There is so much art but so little good
art."
